Mobilization Against War & Occupation (MAWO) & Iranian Community Against War (ICAW) Statement:No War on Iran! No Sanctions on Iran!

Sunday July 6th
NEWS RELEASE & CALL ON ALL PEACE LOVING PEOPLE

International Day of Action Against War and Sanctions On Iran
Saturday August 2nd 2008
2:00 pm
Vancouver Art Gallery (Robson at Howe)

Recent news reports have released information on a congressional
hearing in US Congress in late 2007, in which Congress agreed to a
request from President Bush to fund a major escalation of covert
operations against Iran. This is the latest of the US campaign to
attack Iran in order to establish the US's further domination and
hegemony in the Middle East. The Iranian Community Against War (ICAW)
and Mobilization Against War & Occupation (MAWO) condemn the
congressional resolution and are responding to the international call
out by the "Stop War on Iran" committee in New York by organizing a
rally against war on Iran in Vancouver on Saturday August 2nd 2008.

The Congressional resolution allowed up to 400 million in US dollars
in covert spending for activities such as funding mercenary groups
inside the country as well as spying on Iran. In one section of this
non-binding resolution, US planning to cut off and strangle the
Iranian people through different stages of sanctions, some of which
have already been imposed are blatantly exposed. "…Congress - demands
that the President initiate an international effort to immediately and
dramatically increase the economic, political, and diplomatic pressure
on Iran to verifiably suspend its nuclear enrichment activities by,
[among other things], prohibiting the export to Iran of all refined
petroleum products; imposing stringent inspection requirements on all
persons, vehicles, ships, planes, trains, and cargo entering or
departing Iran; and prohibiting the international movement of all
Iranian officials not involved in negotiating the suspension of Iran's
nuclear program."

"In addition to Iran's neighboring countries (Iraq and Afghanistan)
being brutally occupied by the US, this naval blockade and sanctions
is an obvious escalation of war on Iran in order to cripple the
country economically." Stated Ali Yerevani, organizer with the Iranian
Community Against War (ICAW). "We have seen how the US used the
sanctions to kill over one and a half million people in Iraq, many of
whom were women and children, in order to bring the country to its
knees before to invasion and occupation of Iraq. Taking into account
Iran's huge population, imagine the devastation that is impending
while the US Congress pushes for this non-binding congressional
resolution" said Payvand Pejvack, another organizer with ICAW.

The Iranian Community Against War (ICAW) and Mobilization Against War
& Occupation (MAWO) call on all Iranian and non-Iranian people in
Vancouver to join together in the form of sponsoring, endorsing and
also participating in this International Day of Action, to demand "No
War on Iran!" "No Sanctions on Iran!" "US Hands off Iran!"